Operations and Business Development Manager

SUMMARY:
A well-established formulator and retailer in industrial & domestic Paints and Coatings in KZN, with strong links into their manufacture and development, requires an Operations and Business Development Manager. The manager will be driven and entrepreneurially orientated, overseeing operations and responsible for driving business expansion and growth

The incumbent will work closely with the CEO and should have at least 5 years’ business experience at a management level. The candidate will ideally have a combination of career links from the coatings, industrial or construction retail/wholesale or industrial manufacturing industries and have had exposure to general management responsibilities - including sales and marketing, financial, SC, product formulation and manufacturing.

POSITION INFO:
Responsibilities:

People Management

• Lead and manage staff, building a high-performance, service-orientated team culture
• Develop strong customer and supplier relationships

• Oversee inventory levels, ordering, and supplier coordination
• Implement controls to minimize losses, slow-moving, and obsolete stock

• Monitor operational expenditure and margins
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cashflow planning
• Manage pricing, discounts, and payment-terms governance

• Utilize industrial-manufacturing or construction knowledge to support operations
• Paint and/or related chemical formulation knowledge
• Exposure to product development processes
• Able to provide input and problem solving for formulation, quality, and customer issues

• Manage the retail store
• Sales leads, marketing and new customer growth
• Pricing, discount and payment terms management
• Accounts receivable management

• Perform a wide range of hands-on operational duties as required
• Support overall business strategy, systems, and process development

• Tertiary qualification – e.g., BCom or relevant bachelor’s degree/diploma
• Valid driver’s license
• Minimum 5 years’ business experience at a senior management level
• Experience in the coatings or related chemical environment will be advantageous
• Not colour blind – must be able to clearly differentiate and work with colours

• Business and entrepreneurial acumen
• Proven leadership capabilities of teams across all levels
• Understanding or exposure to the Coatings industry incl. product and application thereof
• Practically minded and solution orientated
• Must not be colour blind (Able to see and work with colours)
• Able to clearly communicate with internal and external stakeholders